Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was heckled for the second day in a row on Wednesday by anti-gay protesters during his two-day swing through Iowa.
Randall Terry, donning a Satan costume, was joined by two other demonstrators dressed as Jesus and the mayor of South Bend, Ind., as they hurled insults at the openly gay and married White House hopeful. They used a speaker system set up outside the house in Marshalltown, Iowa, where Buttigieg, 37, was expected to meet with supporters in the early nominating state.
Protesters at @PeteButtigieg meet and greet — this time it involves actors dressed as Jesus, Satan and the mayor.
75+ people gathered here in Marshalltown, waiting to hear from the mayor.
“Seeing these protesters inspires me to support Pete even more,” one attendee told me. pic.twitter.com/obbrwqFg22
— Elena Schneider (@ec_schneider) April 17, 2019
Terry, a religious activist behind the anti-abortion Operation Rescue group, also attended Buttigieg’s 1,600-person rally on Tuesday evening in Des Moines where he yelled, “Remember Sodom and Gomorrah, Pete! Sodom and Gomorrah!” His shouts and those of other protesters, however, were quickly drowned out by competing chants of “Pete!” and “USA!” before they were escorted away.
“You know the good news: the condition of my soul is in the hands of God, but the Iowa caucuses are up to you,” Buttigieg responded.
A protestor shouts @PeteButtigieg, who is openly gay and running for President: “Remember Sodom and Gomorrah, Pete! Sodom and Gomorrah!”
Buttigieg responds: “Ya know the good news: the condition of my soul is in the hands of God, but the Iowa caucuses are up to you [voters].” pic.twitter.com/wGkwu2cd4d
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 17, 2019
He later told CNN: “I would prefer to have those kinds of debates in a respectful format, versus through interruption, but a president is going to have to deal with tougher things than being interrupted in a speech. It is what it is.”
Earlier in the day, a man was escorted from Buttigieg’s town hall in Fort Dodge, Iowa, for accusing the mayor of “misleading our children.”
Buttigieg’s trip to Iowa is his first since March. The former McKinsey consultant is experiencing a surge in the polls, recording 5.2% support in RealClearPolitics’ average of early surveys.
[Read more: ‘Change is coming’: Pete Buttigieg draws thousands for official campaign kickoff]
